Can It Be Bliss?
by Katie Todd
Summary: Kate and Gibbs are undercover as a married couple with an 11 month old baby girl named Belle. They are acting as bait for the killer. Will they stay safe when they truly become the targets. Kibbs. Newly updated.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony ?? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable. I would also like to thank Sammie28 and csiphile for their stories "The Good Doctor" and "When I'm Gone" (respectively) for their great inspiration toward this piece.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: On my computer this document is not in italics or underlined, I have been told it is on this site it has been converted this way. I do not know how to correct this, so anyone with any suggestions would be a great help. Sorry for this inconvenience. (update) I think I might have found the solution, please let me know if the problem countinues.

Now Enjoy!

Can it be Bliss?

By: Katie Todd

NCIS HEADQUATERS:BULL PEN

"Another one." Gibbs growls as Stan slaps a manila folder down on his desk.

"Yeah," the other agent mutters, "and now the case is to be re-opened. I need your help on this one Gibbs."

Gibbs nods soberly. "OK ." If this case hadn't irked him so much there was no way he would have agreed, but Stan does need his help and he does want this case solved.

"Thanks Gibbs it's me solo on this. Can I meet with your team in an hour?"

Gibbs nods and opens the file folder on his desk.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUATERS:CONFRENCE ROOM

Stan picks up a remote and with out an intro turns on the plasma and clicks his way to what looks like a real estate brochure cover photo.

It depicts a tall pretty blonde woman with striking blue eyes as she stands in front of a blue and white house; an equally cute baby perches on her hip and a tall brunette man stands beside her and his hand on her arm.

"Steve Sanders his wife, Melissa Sanders and their daughter Joy Sanders, murdered May 4th, 2003 at around 6:00 in the morning. Steve worked at a rather high paying security firm, his wife was a stay at home mother, his daughter a month shy of her second birthday." Stan glances at his notes that are flipped out in front of him before he continues.

He clicks the remote again and another picture fills the screen. This one looks a lot like the first. A shorter brunette woman stands in front of a pale yellow house, brunette daughter piled into her arms and gray haired husband brushing her hair out of her face as he looks at his daughter.

"Edward Fenton his wife, Marie Fenton, and their 23 month old daughter Rosalie Fenton, murdered May4th, 2004 at around 6:00 in the morning. Edward worked for the same security firm, CDT, his wife was a stayed at home and like I stated earlier their daughter died one month shy of her second birthday."

Another picture floods the screen this one slightly different.

" Marie Rhodes," Stan points to the thin redhead woman on the screen. She sits on a tarnished swing and holds a small blonde headed baby on her lap. " Greg Rhodes," he points to the blonde man who stands behind the redhead, "and their daughter Gracie."

Stan takes a breath and continues after a drink from his water bottle.

"Greg worked at CDT, his wife was a stay at home mom and his daughter was suffocated at 23 months. They were murdered on May 4th, 2004 at 6:00 in the morning."

Another picture takes its turn on the screen, and the rooms occupants can already guess what happened to the smiling brunette woman, her husband, and pink dressed tot.

"The Popes. They died on May 4th , 2005 at 6:00 in the morning. Teresa was a stay at home mom her daughter Mary died at 23 months and Gregory worked at CDT."

The screen goes blank. The rooms occupants lookdown at their respective folders waiting for Stan to start up again.

" NCIS has been after the killer or killers for months. The woman is always between the ages of 27 and 30, the man between ages 45 and 50. The men are also all ex-marines but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how the killer picks out the woman. Every one at the security company checked out clean. All the murders took place within three different base neighborhoods. CDT is a on base security development firm for the Navy." Stan pauses. "Until recently the case was declared cold. There was no evidence no clues and The Profiling Squad classified the killer as dormant. Then yesterday morning, May 4th, 2008 I got a call from a local police officer who found," a new picture takes residence on the screen as he speaks, "Anna Fickly, her husband Matthew and their daughter Beth. The coroner stated the TOD to be around 6:00 in the morning. Anna was a stay at home mom, Mathew worked at CDT and Beth was 23 months old. Needless to say," Stan continues, "the case was reopened. I just got out of a conference with Director Morrow and The Secretary of the Navy, Michelle Godfrey, and they demanded I get with a team and throw someone in undercover as bait to hopefully catch the murderer ."

Gibbs looks up puzzled. Stan hadn't said any thing about this when he came to him earlier.

"Director Morrow said your team," Stan was talking only to Gibbs now, "was my best bet, and he 'Strongly Recommended' you and Agent Todd go undercover as our married couple."

Tony spits out his water laughter filling his throat, while McGee has the foresight to look shocked and Kate looks like she's deciding whether to debate the idea with her six hour or stay seated. Gibbs, looks up gravely and states the obvious.

"We have no child."

Tony is the only one who seems to catch Kate's slight sigh of relief that is quickly taken back when Stan clears his throat and says, " CACA," he pauses ignoring Tony's immature reaction to the acronym and restarts, "CACA recently took in a 11 month old girl who was left without a living relative when her parents, grandparents on both sides, step mother, sister, and godmother were arrested for association with a drug ring. They are more than willing to let the two of you foster her for awhile. They do this kind of thing often actually."

Stan raises his eyebrows, in question, and looks at Gibbs who nods and asks almost silently where they are moving to.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUATERS:BULL PEN

1 WEEK LATER

" Shhhhhh Shhhhh" Kate mutters as she holds 'her' new baby girl against her chest.

"This Belle?" Tony asks as he comes up behind the young brunette.

"Yeah Tony. This is Belle." Kate says while she sashes behind her desk and puts a file in her bag.

"She looks like she'll be hot." Tony states openly.

"Only you Dinozo. Only you." Kate mutters disapprovingly as she tries to place her bag on her shoulder and walk out from behind her desk and into the bullpens center.

Dinozo dances around her making faces at the girl that is held against Kate's chest, her head peeking over Kate's shoulder. Tony's head is met with a resounding smack as Gibbs strolls off the elevator, a tall thin blonde walks up behind him. Tony smiles at her, brushes a hand over his wounded head and introduces himself. He's not to wrapped up in his current woman, however, not to notice Gibbs slide the bags strap up over Kate's shoulder and pat it into place.

"Special Agent Caitlyn Todd?" the blonde asks ignoring Tony's advances.

Kate nods and turns to face the blonde woman.

"This is Belle's." she hands Kate a dark green folder. It's papers spew onto the floor.

"Sorry," the blonde states and bends down to pick up some of the fallen documents as she explains, "It has lists of Belles allergies, her likes and dislikes, the formula we have her on. Things like that. I'm Katherine by the way." She extends a hand and Kate smiles struggling to offer her one in return. "We have some new secretaries and they forgot to give it to you when you checked Belle out this morning."

"Well, Thank you for dropping it by." Kate smiles and reaccepts the folder before turning toward Gibbs' desk.

"You ready?" she asks him quietly and he sees her tension in the way she stands.

She's never been deep undercover before, other than acting like a slooz from the Jerry Springer Show she's had no experience with this. He nods silently, slides out from behind his desk while grabbing one more folder and takes the baby from her.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

123 GRANDVIEW DRIVE:STEVENSON HOME

NEXT DAY

"Look," Kate coos, "Look at your new bedroom Belle. You like it?"

Kate walks into the now pale green painted bedroom with Belle and points to a ribbon and button mobile that hangs above a bright patterned quilt that lays in a white wooden crib.

Gibbs grins from his place in the narrow yellow hallway. Kate looks like a perfect mother. He sees it in every movement she makes, the way she holds Belle, the way she automatically rocks back and forth on her heels. All perfect and motherly but also attractive, very attractive. All he sees from his position in the hallway is how beautiful she looks in her blue jeans and pink sweater. He rebuffs himself for wanting her to be carrying his child in her arms, to be able to kiss her.

In his head he starts chanting all the reasons this could never work, but stops when Kate looks and him, her head tilted to the side her eyes raised in question.

"Gibbs? You OK?"

He manages to nod, once, stupidly.

"Yeah Kate. I put your suitcase in the master bedroom. I'm taking the guest room." he states simply.

The brunette thanks him and shyly asks him if he can find the play pin and get Belle situated and can call for a pizza, so she can unpack.

He nods, again, stupidly and takes the baby from her.

"Sure Kate, I already set the play penup in the living room."

The brunette smiles 'always anticipate' flows loosely through her mind as she walks down the hall to the large and open master bedroom Gibbs gave her. She starts unpacking her things, her new identity on the top of her suitcase. Mrs. Stevenson looks up at her from the file, she looks like Kate, but Kate doesn't have a doting husband and an adorable child. She continues through the suitcase quickly picking up piles of crisp clean clothes and moving them into her dresser. She finally manages to pick her way to the bottom of the colossal suitcase and extracts a box of red hair dye.

'Time to become Mrs. Stevenson' she decides and slides into the bathroom.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Yes 123 Grandview Drive, on the Navy base."

Gibbs hangs up the phone, places it back in its cradle, and turns to 'his' smiling daughter in the playpen. Her hands are high above her head and they grasp and un-grasp the air in front of her. She smiles up at Gibbs for a moment before she topples down in her play pin and snatches up her favorite stuffed brown bunny rabbit, the only thing CACA took with her when they adopted her into their care. She bites its nose and rolls around in the center of the play pin with it giggling loudly.

The silver headed agent moves into the kitchen to fix himself and Kate a cup of coffee. Their new coffee pot grinds beans automatically, he adds some regular coffee beans in when he hears a creak on the stairs he turns hand automatically going to grab for his now non existent gun when Kate walks into the kitchen, pale blue bathrobe tied tightly around her and her now deep auburn colored hair held up in Velcro rollers on her head. She prances across the floor in her satin slippers and plucks the now silently sitting child from her play pin and begins to dance her around the kitchen. She turns toward Gibbs who stands shell shocked for probably the first time in his life.

" What do you think?" Kate asks quietly referring to her now red head.

He struggles to answer trying to think of something anything to say. But all that's going through his mind is the fact that she's a red head and the fact that that does nothing to help his current predicament.

He coughs quietly and answers solemnly.

"It looks nice Katie."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUATERS:ABBY'S LAB

STEVENSON HOME:DEN

VIDEOCONFRENCE

1 WEEK LATER

"KAATEEEEEE!" Abby's voice squeals over the speaker and the noise echoes across the lab and through the Stevenson's den.

"Hey Abbs," Kate chuckles slightly, " Say hi to Belle" Kate instructs, as she bounces the PJ dressed tot on her hip in front of the camera that is dangerously balanced on the top of the flat screen computer.

"Hi Belle." Abby consents, and Belle clenches and unclenches her fist in greeting. Tony comes up from behind Abby he leans on the counter next to her and he and a newly entered Paula add their voices to the ruckus.

"Hi Kate, Gibbs, Belle." Tony says while Paula mutters a "Hello."

"Hi," Kate responds and Belle snuggles further into her chest, her cherry patterned footie pajamas blending in with Kate's pale green shirt, "so what do you have so far?"

"Not much unfortunately," Abby sighs as she bounces around in front of the camera. Her hands are tightly holding on to her 8:00 Caf Pow. "Where's boss?"

"Here," he states firmly. He comes into the view of the camera coffee cup and baby bottle in hand. He takes Belle from Kate and hands the tot her bottle, he lets her tiny fingers wrap around it before guiding to her mouth and beginning to slightly dance around with her. Kate has long since taken the coffee he brought her and she turns back to the camera.

"What'd you got?" Gibbs slurs.

"Well nothing really," the young Goth says referring to the cold case they have now reopened, "there was really no evidence, minus a piece of hair Gibbs, and all I can tell you from that is the person used hair dye and a lot of it, and at some point they were a brunette. I can't even tell you if brown is their original hair color or whether its form a male or female, it has no root and without a root I can tell you…nothing." she nods almost solemnly and steps back offering the floor to Tony.

"We looked over, listened to, and watched every interrogation video. I couldn't pick up on anything other than what Stan already stated. We're trying to track down employee's maybe talk to them again, but so far nothing. Ducky's looking for autopsy discrepancies with Gerald but they haven't gotten to far, and Stan's conferencing in MTAC." Tony states simply.

Paula steps forward unconsciously laying a hand on the crook of Tony's elbow as she does so.

"Could we send you the videos Kate? Maybe you'll pick up on something we missed."

"Sure." Kate nods as she throws a manicured hand through her softly curled auburn hair.

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs barks.

"h-h-here boss," the probationary agent stutters as he runs into the room. "I am trying to track cell phone and bank records of the deceased, so far nothing."

Gibbs nods hands Kate, Belle and takes her empty coffee cup and Belle's empty bottle somewhere out of frame.

Kate nods to him silently tossing her hair as she does so and turns back to the screen to see a shocked Tony.

"Your hair." he states. "it's red."

"Auburn actually." Gibbs amends as he walks back into the tope colored den, inside the cameras viewing range, and inserts a pacifier into Belle's waiting mouth.

Tony and Abby stand still shocked mouths agape. They can pick up on his slight hair differences as well. The gray seems softer now, but darker. The cut seems less military and more shaggy. Kate steps back from their gazes unconsciously, she still hasn't warmed up to this look, but she was instructed to dye her hair and they sent her with red dye so she really had no choice. She feels self conscious, but it eases when Gibbs places a calming hand on the small of her back. Tony is the first to recover from this shell shocking revelation and he shakes his head like a dog trying to remove all remnants of water after a bath.

"Why didn't you go with blonde?"

The other agents laugh good humouredly still looking at her hair like its out of place.

Gibbs without a closure leans over and clicks the video camera off. He takes Belle from Kate, to begin getting her dressed and turns to his formerly brunette agent.

"It looks lovely, Katie." he says softly as he brushes her hair back behind her ear.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Kate's hair is…" Tony turns to Abby.

"Red." the young Goth finishes.

"Why red?" McGee wonders aloud.

The other three agents turn to him and laugh.

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123 GRANDVIEW DRIVE:STEVENSON HOMENEXT EVENING

"Kate?" Gibbs questions as he comes into the kitchen.

The TV hums softly. Belle lays in her play pin asleep in the center, her chubby arms wrap around her over stuffed bunny, her pink blanket tucked around her. The laundry lays stacked neat in its basket.

"Katie?" he calls softly as he crosses into the family room.

He takes one look at her, when he finds her sprawled on the couch, and sighs. Her right arm hangs off the couch and is gripped into a fist. Her heads almost hanging off and her hair kisses the couches side. He grabs the black blanket that hangs on to their white arm chair and places it over her body. He knows how hard the last week has been on her, how much adjusting she's had to do, how much mothering she's had to do. He doesn't even want to think about how hard next week, in two days, will be on her.

Next week he'll be gone to work all day which means more adjusting and less sleep. He also knows she hasn't slept through a whole night since they have moved in; fears, uncertainty, and the baby keeping her awake. She curls in on herself, restlessly, and then straightens back out. He smiles slightly and goes in search of the phone to order Chinese.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Kate." Gibbs whispers as he rubs her shoulder gently, her box of shrimp stir-fry is getting cold as he tries to wake her.

"Katie." he murmurs again. This time his hand softly travels across her forehead and he notices how warm she is when she leans against his touch.

"Kate." he whispers, a little sharper, for the third time.

"hmmm?" She opens her eyes groggily staring at him before she jumps off the couch and rushes to the bathroom to throw up.

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A/N: There is more to come…so much more. What do you think? Too long write length? I am a little worried this story will get too long, and I already have so much more typed. So what do you think? Reviews are bliss.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony ?? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable. I would also like to thank Sammie28 and csiphile for their stories "The Good Doctor" and "When I'm Gone" (respectively) for their great inspiration toward this piece.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: This chapter is a little shorter, but it seemed a good place to cut this one. There is more to come I promise. I would also like to thank hellraiser for beating this chapter. Thanks!

Now Enjoy!…And Review!

Can it be Bliss?

By: Katie Todd

Chapter Two

NCIS HEADQUATERS:AUTOPSY

STEVENSON HOME:KITCHEN

TELOCONFRENCE

NEXT MORNING

"Sounds like a bad case of food poisoning," Ducky states, " I believe it's the water too, Caitlin is not used to un-purified water, you might want to buy a purifier, or an excess of greasy food like pizza, and her systems reacted."

Gibbs sighs tossing a hand through his hair.

"What she need Duck," he barks into the phone receiver the request echoing through the speaker and across the morgue.

"Sleep. She shouldn't eat anything except maybe crackers or a light soup, she shouldn't drink anything either accept purified water, no coffee. She should be better by morning."

Ducky hears a mumbled 'Thanks' before he interprets the blank noise of a disconnected phone call.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

STEVENSON HOME: MASTER BEDROOMSAME DAY

"Kate?" Gibbs hums quietly as he enters her bedroom, "how ya doin?"

She is propped up on a bunch of pillows and watching something boring on the TV that sits in front of her bed. She still looks pale, almost the color of the white blanket she clutches against her body.

"I talked to Duck, he says you need rest."

"Mmmm…" she agrees meekly.

"You still cold?"

The brunette nods no fiercely. Gibbs sits carefully on the edge of the bed looking at her worriedly.

"You're stomach all that hurts?"

"My throat," the former brunette croaks, " and my head."

"You want some water? I think we have some bottles in the fridge. I don't want to risk IV Profin or anything with your stomach."

Kate manages to nod yes.

He rises carefully, checks on an enthusiastic Barney watching Belle, and goes to the kitchen to get a bottle of water. He climbs back up the steps carefully and re-enters her bedroom. He eases himself onto the side of the bed and the gently scoots himself to the middle of it handing her the water.

"Easy now." he murmurs as she rushes to sit up and gulps the water down.

He rubs a hand down her back soothingly and takes the bottlefrom her when she finishes. She lays back sighing heavily, her eyes closed. Gibbs moves closer and slides his fingers over her creased forehead until she falls asleep.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUATERS: BULLPEN

"Anything?" Stan, who sits in Gibbs' chair asks.

"No." McGee mumbles.

"Nope." Tony says popping the 'P'.

"Natta." Abby chirps from her place, leaning against McGee's desk.

"Yes." Paula breaths, " It looks like it is someone who knows the families. None of the pictures show pick marks on the locks and there were no broken windows or anything."

"Show me." Stan orders, relief evident in his voice.

Paula nods and picks up the remote, before she turns to the plasma.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

STEVENSON HOME: FOYERNEXT MORNING

"Bye. I'll be back at 6:00.' Gibbs says.

He leans in closer to give Kate a hug and is surprised when she flinches away.

"I need to go check on Belle." She lies and Gibbs nods a little hurt and a little confused. He opens the door and makes his way to his car. Kate sinks on to floor, her head falls in her lap and she cries from frustration.

Yesterday had been amazing, apart from the fact she was so sick she could hardly move. Gibbs hadn't left her side for a minute, he had taken care of her and Belle perfectly and effortlessly. She couldn't stand the act, not anymore. She should have refused this offer, turned in her badge and quit, nothing good could ever come from pretending to be his wife, acting like she was a happy mother.

She had thanked him this morning over coffee. He had mumbled off some response about how it was his job. His job to make sure she didn't blow her cover and that a sick, frustrated, and worn out Kate, would've blown her cover. He went on to explain the fact that she needed to be able to handle meeting their neighbors and such, with him not at home, he couldn't have her stressed.

Translation: everything that happened yesterday was for the job, always the job, all his touches had been a lie, a dress rehearsal in a way for what was to come and she didn't think she could handle it any more. Her mind as much as she told it not to, would often trick her into believing Gibbs returned her affections. She just couldn't live a lie.

The baby monitor in the kitchen picks up a cry from upstairs. She sighs, runs a hand over her face, and pushes herself up from her position on the bottom step, to begin her climb upstairs to Belle's room.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1717 JAMISON ROAD:FOOD MARTSAME DAY

"Apple." Kate pronounces perfectly to Belle who sits quietly, smiling, and playing with her bunny rabbit, in the grocery cart.

Kate places the bag of apples in the back of the cart and starts off to the bread aisle. She quickly grabs a bag of whole-wheat sandwich cut and drops it in the cart, and pats the rabbit's head that Belle is offering and encourages her to keep it.

"What a cutie." a brunette woman behind Kate states and Kate smiles in return.

"Say 'hi' Belle." she instructs but the little girl simply stares at the woman before hiding behind her rabbit.

"Aw, a little shy. How cute," she offers a hand to Kate, "Heather Samen."

"Kathleen Stevenson." Kate says accepting Heather's offered hand.

"You live in Grandview, on the base right? I thought I saw you and your husband move in. I live right next door, all alone I'm afraid. I work as a secretary at the Naval Office."

"Oh," Kate says politely, "yes I think I saw you watering your flowers yesterday, the marigolds look lovely by the way. I'd love to stay and chat but its close to Belle's nap time and I don't want to shop with a sleepy child. Nice to meet you."

Heather smiles and waves.

"Nice to meet you too."

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123 GRANDVIEW DRIVE: STEVENSON HOMELATER THAT DAY

" I'm home." Gibbs gravely voice echoes through the house.

"I'm giving Belle a bath, dinner's on the stove." comes Kate's sharp reply.

Gibbs stares curiously at the top of the stairs.

"Everything OK Kate?"

"Fine."

Gibbs, not one to press, continues to the kitchen and cuts himself a piece of casserole from the dish on the stove and drops it onto a pale blue ceramic plate.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Shh, shh." Kate slurs as she places a neat mint green pajama dressed Belle in her crib. "Time to go night night."

"Sleep sweet." Gibbs adds from his place behind Kate in the hallway.

Kate kisses Belle's forehead and turns to leave.

She feels teenage and melodramatic but she can't help the angry moisture that fills her eyes when she sees the only man she wants to love her but won't.

"Kate, Katie what's wrong," he questions as she passes him to get to the hallway, "are you hurt?" he grabs her wrist as she tries to pass her and forces her to face him.

"I can't do this Gibbs. I just…I can't…I… l…l…love you Gibbs and to pretend that…to have to act like you love me in return…I was foolish to think I could handle this and I just…I can't-"

"Katie," Gibbs says seriously, "stop."

Kate looks at him curiously just in time to see his lips move towards her. They kiss softly for a minute. This kiss is better than any she's dreamed of and better than any he's had. She's trusting him with more than her life now, her soul, and he's trusting that she wont break his heart, trusting himself to make this work. Gibbs pulls back for a second to catch his breath.

"Wow." Kate sighs leaning into his vast chest.

"That's what they all say." Gibbs smiles and Kate slaps his chest with two open hands before leaning up to recapture his lips.

A/N: What did you think? Did the kiss come too soon, (trust me I have my reasons )? Tell me.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony ?? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable. I would also like to thank Sammie28 and csiphile for their stories "The Good Doctor" and "When I'm Gone" (respectively) for their great inspiration toward this piece.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: This chapter is a little shorter, but it seemed a good place to cut this one. There is more to come I promise. I would also like to thank hellraiser for beating this chapter. Thanks!

Now Enjoy!…And Review!

Can it be Bliss?

Chapter Three

By: Katie Todd123

GRAQNDVIEW DRIVE: STEVENSON HOME

1 WEEK LATER

"Yes, I just got them, Paula. Thanks."

Kate lays the phone back in its cradle just to have it ring again.

"Stevenson residence." Kate says into the receiver.

"Hi, Kathleen, it's Heather from next door. I decided to have a get together with a couple other families tomorrow at 7:30. I was just wondering if you, Mark, and Belle could make it. I know it's short notice but it's nothing real fancy. You think you could make it?" Kathleen hastily babbles.

"Yeah, that'd be great, tomorrow at 7:30. We'll be there." Kate replies.

"Great we'll see you then, Bye."

"Bye."

Kate hangs up the phone and turns to an antsy Belle in her playpen.

"Come on Belle. Lunch time."

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NCIS HEADQUATERS:MTAC

STEVNESON HOME:DEN

VIDEO CONFRENCE

NEXT DAY

"Looking nice Kate." Tony comments into his head set.

"Thanks." Kate states simply as she stumbles into the den trying to pull a black heel on as she goes.

"Party or something tonight?"

"Yeah, it was sent in with a bunch of dates for our security contact schedule. You didn't get it?"

"Nope," Tony says characteristically popping the 'p'. "Has to be seen by the director first and he's been busy."

"Feeling safer already." Kate remarks sarcastically.

"So this was important." Gibbs gripes as he scoots into the room.

He takes Kate's hand to help steady her when Belle crawls into the room. Gibbs leans down to pick up the tot, who is clad in a cute tank top black dress. Gibbs straightens the matching bow in Belle's hair and turns back to the camera. His eyes raise in a silent question.

"We discovered that the killer is someone that knows the families, no pick marks were found on the doors, we're trying to get a list of people who worked for the families; baby sitters, pet sitters, mowers etc. And we also found out that the killer collects trophies; pearl necklaces that were commonly scene on all the victims, it's apparently military tradition for an ex-marine to give a pearl necklace to his wife for Christmas after his tenth full year of being home…which you of course already know…, stuffed animals were also taken. They range anywhere from bunnies to bears to an alligator, and last but not least a security clearance card from each husband."

"Got it." is Gibbs' simple reply as Kate slides from the room in search of Belle's bunny rabbit and diaper bag.

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125 GRANDVIEW DRIVE:SAMEN HOME

NEXT DAY

"Welcome." Kathleen says as she opens the door for the undercover agents.

"Wow, nice place, I love the decorating." Kate comments.

"Thanks," Heather smiles.

"Oh, here." Kate grins and hands her a tray of cookies.

"They look delicious, Kathleen," She pauses for a second before she leads them into the living room, "This is Alice, Mike, and their daughter Dana."

Heather excuses herself and Gibbs passes a squirming Belle to Kate.

"Mark Stevenson, my wife Kathleen and our daughter Belle."

"Aww," Alice remarks, her short dark hair gently grazes her chin as she speaks. Her bright yellow sun dress is in great contrast to Kate's three-quarter length sleeved black one, "how old?"

"She's almost twelve months." Kate smiles.

"What's her name, again?" Alice questions apologetically.

"Belle, it's short for Isabelle Marie. How old is yours?"

"Dana," she glances down at the thin freckled, red head child, "Just turned three."

"How's our schedule Friday, love?" Gibbs says as he leans over toward his partner.

"Free, why?"

"Mike wanted to know if we could meet them at Café 210 for dinner." He smiles as he lays a soft hand on Kate's back.

"I'll have to find a sitter…" Kate worries, as she glances at the toddler in her arms.

"Heather is watching Dana, I'm sure she could watch Isabelle." Alice assures.

"It wouldn't be any trouble." Heather remarks as she comes into the room.

"OK." Kate fakes a smile.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

VIDEO CONFRENCESTEVENSON:DEN

NCIS HEADQUATERS:MTAC

TWO DAYS LATER

"You sure she's clean?" Kate questions.

"Scrubbing bubbles clean." Tony answers.

"Has the Profiling Squad compiled a profile yet?"

"No," Paula chirps, "It's close to the bottom of their list."

"Wonderful." Gibbs growls as he enters.

He looks Kate over and grunts. Her auburn hair is up in rollers, her navy blue dress, partially unzipped in the back, her white death-trap shoes stand by her feet.

"You think this is detailed enough?" He questions referring to the clear, over filled folder filled with 'Baby Sitting Belle Instructions'.

Kate rolls her eyes, places a hand to her temple, and sighs. Tony chuckles, but neither of the pair notice the sound. Gibbs drops the folder to the ground and raises the zipper on Kate's dress.

"Hey," he smiles as his hands begin to knead her halter strap covered shoulders and neck.

"She'll be fine."

"So…" Tony begins.

Kate's head snaps up, but Gibbs' gentle kneading doesn't stop.

"We couldn't find any common work men for any of the families." Tony finishes.

"Forensics found some more evidence. It had been misplaced…put in a mislabeled box…," Abby squeals, "and I can now tell you your perpetrator is more recently a blonde."

Gibbs' frustration is only evident in the newly added pressure on Kate's shoulders.

"Party?" Paula asks as she comes to stand by Tony.

"No, dinner with neighbors." Gibbs states, "Our Kate is a little worried about letting someone baby sit Belle."

"Oh." Paula sympathizes.

"We should finish getting ready." Gibbs states as he presses his palms down Kate's back.

He marches forward and turns off the camera.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Our Kate, meaning HIS Kate." Tony states.

"He did seem pretty concerned." Abby agrees.

"That or he is going into massage therapy." Paula concurs.

McGee stares on puzzled.

A/N: What do you think? Please let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Belisarius, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony ?? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bear with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable. I would also like to thank Sammie28 and csiphile for their stories "The Good Doctor" and "When I'm Gone" (respectively) for their great inspiration toward this piece and Dyslexic CSI for beating this one for me, I know it's a hassle.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: Sorry sorry sorry sorry…I've been really busy with school…its been hard to focus on anything else…therefore updates haven't been happening. I'm on fall break now so I decided to put everyone out of there misery. Reviews are bliss. Thank you all so much for sticking with this so far.

Chapter Four

CAFÉ 210

LATER THAT NIGHT

"Sorry we're late." Kate apologizes simply.

Her auburn hair lazes in curls down her back as she sways to the table. Gibbs' hand is on the small of her back, but it's lost the professional edge. His dark calloused fingers smooth circles on the back of the dress, in an effort to soothe her. Kate slides into the blue padded booth nestling herself between Gibbs and the wall.

"We saw Dana at Heather's. Is she a dancer?" Kate questions as she glances down the menu.

"No…gymnast. She loves it." Alice answers.

"We saw her in her leotard. Where'd you find leg warmers that cute?"

Alice chuckles. "This place online H C it designs, one word. I got her a pair last Christmas," she fingered the pearls at her neck, "she became obsessed with them. We must have fifty pairs.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Kate smiles groggily. Her head rests on the top of his arm as he continues in his Desert Storm conversation with Mike. The food had been excellent, the conversation light and airy but deep at the same time. Kate could feel the start of a friendship growing.

"Thank you all for diner. It was wonderful." Gibbs flashes a smile as he scoots out of the booth.

Kate and Alice say their good-byes as they walk to their cars.

"Sleepy?" Gibbs' questions once they're in the safety of their own vehicle.

When she doesn't answer Gibbs turns to see her already asleep, head resting on the window.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

125 Grandview Drive:Samen HOMETHIRTY MINUTES LATER

"How was she?" Kate asks, as she pulls Belle up off of the couch.

Belle's head lays on Kate's shoulder, one small fist clenched onto Kate's silk navy blue dress, the other around her bunny's neck ribbon. Her small puffy ex-hales brush against Kate's cheek. She's thrilled to have the little one back in her arms. She pauses to think about how much she's already attached to Belle when Heather answers her question.

"Amazing. She's an angle, I've never met a child so well behaved."

"Thank you for watching her," Jethro says as he hands the woman a crisp check, " the Stevenson's are on their way." he assures the sitter as he throws a glance at the sleeping gymnast. Her pale freckled face is buried in the cushion.

"Let's get you home." Kate coos as she walks to the door. Gibbs continues behind her, Belle's industrial sized diaper bag on his shoulder.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUATERS:BULL PENSAME NIGHT

"Tony." Paula chirps as she walks over to his desk.

He sits wide eyed, starring at the computer screen, an empty box of pizza lays on the floor beside his desk under five or so Chinese take out boxes.

"Why don't you go home, get some rest?" she continues as she comes up behind him and presses her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm on the verge of finding something Paula, I know I am." he protests.

"Come on, Tony. We're not going to find anything else out. This case is pretty much without any evidence."

"No its not." Tony almost screams. " Look!" he points a proud finger at the computer screen. "Plasma McGee," he orders.

"She matches the temporary profile, she dropped off the grid about six years ago. Her husband worked at CDT and she had a daughter that died at twenty three months on May fourth of 2001. Guess what she died of?" Tony prompts.

"What?" Stan asks sitting up in Gibbs' chair.

"Suffocation. It says here that she had a paediatric case of asthma. According to this it was pretty bad. Her lungs closed off and she died of suffocation in her sleep."

"Finally," Stan breaths. "You couldn't find anything else about her?"

"Actually I found a woman with similar facial features that went by Marie, this woman's middle name by a parking ticket in 2002, but no more than that."

"Should we get a hold of Gibbs?" Paula questions.

"In the morning, they're probably sleeping." Stan replies.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

STEVENSON HOME:KITCHEN

NCIS HEADQUATERS: BULLPEN

TWO DAYS LATER

"Hello?" Kate says as she presses the phone to her ear.

"Lines secured." She hears mumbled behind the faint static on the phone.

"What's up Kate?"

"Tony?" Kate questions as she scoots through the kitchen to the coffee pot an antsy Belle on her hip.

"Yup." He says excitedly.

"You get a break?" Kate mirrors his excited tone.

"Yes, a big one, but it'd be easier to discuss it with you here. How do you and boss feel about a vacation."

"When?" Kate says without missing a beat.

"Next Monday. You'll need to fly back to Washington, pack a lot. Your cover story is that you're going to be at a best friend's wedding in Seattle. We'll send someone to pick you up at the airport, under the name Stevenson, of course. You'll spend four days there, pretty reasonable for a wedding, and then head back home. Were faxing you the tickets from an untraceable network off a computer at a cyber café on States Street. Got it?"

"Yes." Kate breaths as she writes the last details down on a post it note. "That all?"

"Umm….yeah." Tony says as he clicks through the pictures on the plasma. "We'll see you next week."

"See you then. Bye Tony."

"Bye Kate."

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A/N: Thank you all so much for reading. Please tell me what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs = Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony = ?????? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby =McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: This chapter is a little long but it was very hard to find a place it could be split into pieces so I hope you enjoy regardless of the length. I had a lot of Kibbs fun with this one the romantic bits were just so easy to throw in. This chapter due to time is unbetaed so all mistakes are mine.

Now Enjoy!…And review.

Can it be Bliss?

By: Katie Todd

Chapter Five

STEVENSON HOME:KITCHEN

NCIS HEADQUATERS: BULLPEN

TWO DAYS LATER

"Hello?" Kate says as she presses the phone to her ear.

"lines secured." She hears mumbled behind the faint static on the phone.

"What's up Kate?"

"Tony?" Kate questions as she scoots through the kitchen to the coffee pot an antsy Belle on her hip.

"Yup." He says excitedly.

"You get a break?" Kate mirrors his excited tone.

"Yes, a big one, but it'd be easier to discuss it with you here. How do you and boss feel about a vacation."

"When?" Kate says without missing a beat.

"Next Monday. You'll need to fly back to Washington, pack a lot. Your cover story is that you're going to be in a best friends wedding in Seattle. We'll send someone to pick you up at the airport, under the name Stevenson, of course. You'll spend four days, pretty reasonable for a wedding and then head back home. Were faxing you the tickets from an untraceable network off a computer at a cyber café on States Street. Got it?"

"Yes." Kate breaths as she writes the last details down on a post it note. "That all?"

"Umm….yeah." Tony says as he clicks through pictures on the plasma. "We'll see you next week."

"See you then. Bye Tony."

"Bye Kate."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUARTERS

2 DAYS LATER

The elevator doors pop open with a rattle and Kate emerges with Belle on her hip. The tiny tot has a look of devastation on her face and one small fist is bunched into Kate's white three-quarter length shirt. Kate's hair drips in long spun auburn curls to her shoulders, her bangs are pushed over to the side of her face and caped with a thin white band. She twirls in slow half circles and murmurs to Belle, her curls bounce as she does so. Her eyes are big and chocolate colored with no color contacts to distort the beauty.

"He'll be here in a minute sweetie." Kate coos as she spins.

"Kate!" Tony hollers enthusiastically as he rushes down blue carpeted stairs.

Kate smiles but immediately turns her attention back to the bundle in her arms. The elevator doors pop open again this time releasing a silver headed ex-marine who totes an industrial size white diaper bag. Tony chuckles as he notices the thick white quilted blanket that is slung over his boss' shoulder. Gibbs also clutches a friendly looking bunny rabbit in a big paw.

"Sooopie….sooopie…..sssssooooopppie…." Belle gurgles as Gibbs walks closer.

"Sophie, dear." Kate corrects but the tot is past noticing.

"SSSS OOOO PPP III EEEE." She shouts and flails her arms desperately wanting the bunny in her grasp.

Gibbs smiles and hands the bunny to her, she clasps a small hand on to its neck ribbon and returns his smile. The ex-marine carefully tucks the blanket around her noting that the temperature in the bull-pen is almost an icy cold. Tony's thick jacket makes sense now. The silver haired man drapes the diaper bag over Kate's arm so she can pull out Belle's sippy cup.

"Coffee?" McGee smiles as he comes down the stairs. A headset is still clipped on his head and its obvious he's helping with some of the computer work going on in MTAC.

He hands Gibbs the tall white cup and smiles at Kate as she shuffles Belle around to free an arm to accept the cup. Gibbs takes the cup for her and she smiles as she blows bangs out of her face.

"Thanks Tim."

Tim returns the red heads smile and begins to explain the situation.

"We're trying to get the navy to send us some documents, as well as their housing department. The computers are being difficult. Stan and I are up in MTAC trying to sort it all out. Paula is out getting lunch, if you call her I'm sure she can pick you up something. We are all supposed to meet up in the Directors office in an hour for a debriefing on the possible suspects Tony found." Tim explains.

Kate smiles, this position has made him more confident and even if it's a confidence that will only last until this computer problem is solved. It looks good on him. A buzz over his head set sends him jogging back up stairs.

"Do you want me to call Paula? Ask her to pick you up something?" Tony offers.

Gibbs glances at Kate.

"I'll run out and pick us up something, I don't think Katie's in the mood for something greasy." He rubs her shoulder as he finishes.

He sets her coffee down on her desk and heads toward the elevator. He turns soon after he presses the button.

"I'll bring up the stroller before I leave."

Kate nods, used to having him take control, and dances into the bull pen. Neither notice Tony's intense look of surprise.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

ABBY'S LAB:NCIS HEADQUARTERSHALF AN HOUR LATER

"He called her Katie Abby." Tony gossips, " and rubbed her shoulder as he left."

"Was it a pat on the shoulder," Abby demonstrates, "or was it a rub. Like this."

"Definitely the second option." Tony concurs.

"What are we discussing?" Paula asks as she trots into the room a thick greasy sack in her hand.

"Gibbs and Kate" Tony says as he munches on a French fry.

"If I would've known they were here I would've picked them up something. I saw Kate upstairs walking Belle around. But no Gibbs." Paula rambles.

"Gibbs," Tony emphasizes "wanted to pick up their lunch. Katie apparently wanted something un-greasy."

Paula raises an eye brow.

"He called her that before he rubbed her shoulder, promised to bring up the stroller and left."

"Looks like boss man's getting domesticated." Abby squeals.

"hmm" Paula agrees.

Paula smiles. Abby bounces. Tony eats.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Another nope" Kate sighs.

Since their debriefing two hours ago they had been going through files of all females that had lived on any one of the three navy bases murders had been committed at. They were trying to find a possible match to Tony's possible murderer. The whole process was very draining.

Gibbs leans over to rub Kate's shoulder as she drops another packet of information into the 'out' crate. Kate gives him a smile despite the quiet look of surprise that holds the room captive and sucks at her dry coffee cup. With another restless sigh she tosses it into the waste basket. Gibbs pushes his cup over to her and she sips at it, sending him a grateful smile as she does so.

"Something wrong, Dinozzo?" Gibbs barks.

"N-no boss." He uncharacteristically stammers still looking at the pair oddly, "I was just thinking, we have a mandatory eight miles we have to run and time tomorrow. We should probably be turning in boss, this will all be here tomorrow."

Gibbs nods. Tony rises and gathers Paula's things.

"See you tomorrow." Kate smiles as she stands.

Gibbs pushes the stroller to the elevator and guides Kate with a calloused hand on her back.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1.7 MILES NORTHWEST OF WASHINGTON NAVY YARD

WASHINGTON COURT HOTEL

SAME NIGHT

"One deluxe king for Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson." Gibbs asks the receptionist kindly.

The red head clicks the computer mouse and throws him a wink as she hands him the room key. Gibbs turns and wraps his arm around Kate's shoulder as he leads her to the elevator.

"Wow." Kate smiles as she looks out their room window at the view of the bustling city.

Gibbs spins her around with a hand on her shoulder and pulls her in for a toe popping kiss.

"I'm the only one allowed to make you say wow. No views just me." Gibbs growls.

Kate smiles.

NCIS HEADQUARTERS:BULL PENNEXT DAY

"Tony this search seems pointless," Kate complains, "We don't even know what we are looking for."

She throws a folder in their 'out' basket and groans as she picks up the next.

"I mean she could have had plastic surgery, any name, any hair color and eye color, are we even sure she's still a she, I mean come on." She continues.

A groan escapes her lips as she tosses another folder in the 'out' crate, she glances at the small girl in the play pen that is currently stationed on the floor a few feet away from her. Tony knows instantly where her mind is, the little girl. Belle, could get hurt if they didn't find the killer, luring him or her out was getting to risky he knew that, they all did.

"We'll find her, him, it." Abby consoles as she rubs her friends shoulders.

Abby had been ecstatic when Kate had dropped by the lab the day before. She had been thrilled to have her friend here to talk to in person. Kate's visit to the lab had seemed to be the only high point of her visit. The stress radiating off of her was intense.

Tony's now red headed team mate grunts as she flips another folder in their almost filled blue crate. She sucks dry at her coffee cup and tosses it in the trash as she pulls Gibbs' toward her, and while very carefully leaving a cherry lip gloss mark takes a long sip.

Tony is as shocked as he was the night before when Gibbs' had handed her his coffee cup. For one she didn't grimace at the taste like she used too. Neither of them seemed to have their don't touch my coffee problems any longer, they seemed comfortable with each other, almost too comfortable.

"Tony," Kate jumps, "I think I found something."

"What?" He leans over the card table between them to read the folder in her hand.

"Abby." She orders, "Plasma, code: ARL-0801"

The plasma clicks to live and she hurries in front of the screen. A muddy drivers license photo fills the screen. It depicts a blonde woman with gray eyes.

"Everything but her nose is the same." Abby squeals from her place on Tim's empty desk, he and Stan were still busy with computer problems. The team had only received about half of the documents they needed.

She excitedly looks from the picture in her hand to the plasma in front of her.

"Give me a copy of the picture and I'll run it through facial recognition."

Kate nods and hands the 'Goth' the file. Abby accepts as she juggles her Caf Pow and gives her friend a big smile.

"See we'll solve this case yet."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1.7 MILES NORTHWEST OF WASHINGTON NAVY YARD

WASHINGTON COURT HOTEL

SAME NIGHT

The breathing Gibbs' notices, on Kate's side of the room is ragged. Her body is thoroughly twisted in the gold sheets. She moans softly and buries her head in one of the white feather pillows. Gibbs rises quietly from the sofa bed he'd been using and checks on Belle in her pop up crib. The small child gurgles, but otherwise makes no noise in her sleep. The agent turns when he hears a broken sob from the other side of the room. The brunette is literally sobbing as she thrashes in her covers.

"H-h-h-h help. N-n-n-n no d-d-d-don't. P-p-p-please."

The older agent kneels beside his former brunette partners bed, he reaches a hand up to her shoulder when she flies up in bed. Her small body racks with sobs. She barely notices the silver haired man's embrace as his arms settle around her.

"Katie." he murmurs, "its OK shhh."

"y- you were a-and then." Kate cries.

"shh." the silver haired agent pacifies.

He rubs her back with gentle pats and lays her back down as she falls asleep. She grips his arm as he goes to leave and he assures that he's on the sofa ten feet from her. He drops a kiss on her forehead and walks quietly back to the couch.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUARTERS NEXT DAY

The elevators ding open and Kate jumps in her seat. Her eyes fly to Belle in the floor by her feet and she immediately picks the girl up and puts her in her lap. The aftereffects of her nightmare the night before painfully fresh in her mind. She turns when she hears thick boots stomp on the floor outside the elevator. Tony, Stan who is finally out of MTAC, and Gibbs who carries a brown paper sack and two cups of coffee, finish their seemingly heated conversation as they enter the bullpen. Kate rolls her eyes when she discovers Tony and Stan were discussing an Ohio football game and Gibbs' was ignoring their conversation.

"Here Hun," the silver haired man smiles.

Kate accepts the coffee and blueberry muffin he hands her. She laughs when she catches Abby's not so subtle wink and Paula's look of silent shock. Gibbs ignores both.

"Abby, what did your facial recognition scan come up with?" Stan asks.

"Well," Abby bounces, 'my facial recognition scan said…drum roll please…"

The lab tech laughs as Tony drums two pencils on his desk.

"That it is an almost perfect match to both of the other possible suspects. The nose is subtly different, and the cheek bones are more defined but that can simply be due to age or a new diet. Well the cheek bones not the nose. Your nose is made up of cartilage and therefore-"

"The point Abbs." Gibbs glares.

"She had plastic surgery or got hit in the face with a baseball bat, but regardless, it's the same girl from the other photos."

"Do we have a complete file on her yet?" Kate asks. "The folder I had yesterday had the single photo and a ticket for a traffic violation but nothing else."

"Its being assembled." Stan replies. "Sec Nav is sending us a few hundred pounds of documents that should arrive," he checks his watch, "in an hour."

"Its gonna be a long day." Gibbs grunts in Kate's ear.

Belle reaches for his collar and he lifts her up and onto his lap. He bounces his knees and her giggles fill the room.

"Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a donkey put a feather in his hat and called it macaroni." Gibbs sings as he jostles the small child.

The rest of the team stare at him in shock.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"So she fit's the profile or lack their of." Kate supplies as she stands resting her weight against the side of Gibbs' chair a complaining Belle on her hip.

She had been whining to go see 'Mmm Duhuc' ever since they had taken her down to see the elderly doctor an hour ago. His sweet voice and cherry lollipop had easily won the child over.

"Her name is listed as Michelle Lynn Colbert, and unlike possible suspects one and two that Tony found, her name has no correlation to the other two women. Possible suspect number one's name is listed as Carrie Marie Rhodes and possible suspect number two's name is listed as Marie Isabella Hale. The facial features are almost identical to the first two possible suspects whose faces are identical, and also like the other possible suspects her death certificate which appears a year after her drivers license was issued has never been filed at the hospital it came from, nor does the doctor that filed it exist."

"Well," Tony inputs, "outside of book or TV fiction. There was this show that came out in 1992 that had this really high pitched theme song, that was called X-Files that had this hot red head pathologist that was played by Gillian Anderson that was named Dana Scully and possible suspect number one's death certificate was signed by a doctor Dana Fox Anderson."

"So she might have watched the X-Files." Paula shortens.

"Even I watched the X-Files." Gibbs adds, "so I really don't think that helps us."

Abby bounces into the room ,McGee on her heels, carrying another stack of file folders. She lays the five folders on the card table and smiles.

"Stan sent these down from MTAC, he wants us to take a look, apparently they contain a possibility of being a possible" Abby bounces.

Paula cant help but smile as she takes a folder, Abby always seems to brighten everyone's day. Tony reaches over her gently brushing his hand against her shoulder to Grab a folder. McGee snatches a red tagged one and slouches in a desk chair, after he pulls one up for Abby. Gibbs grabs one and opens it after he sets Belle in her play pen. Kate scoops the last one up off the table and yanks it open as she settles back into her chair.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Any luck?" Stan asks as he comes down from MTAC three hours after having Abby deliver the folders.

"We have a possible suspect number four, and a possible suspect number five. Abby's running the pictures. It's odd though that all these pictures have been filed on parking tickets, and traffic violations, not possible kidnapping or suspected murder, whoever the real Carrie Marie Rhodes is she has a loose idea of what she's doing." Kate says.

"That she does." Tony agrees.

Gibbs nods as he rocks a sleeping Belle.

"Abby said those matches would take at least three hours to bring up and check all the facial points. Kate and I are going to head out we'll see you all tomorrow" Gibbs rises.

Kate gathers up Belle's things and follows him to the elevator.

"Is it just me," Stan asks, " or do those two seem to be a lot closer than I remember."

"There was always the hint of something there, but no it's not just you." Tony agrees.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

1.7 MILES NORTHWEST OF WASHINGTON NAVY YARD

WASHINGTON COURT HOTEL

SAME NIGHT

"What'a watchin?" Kate pops as she scoots into the room.

" Dancing with the," Gibbs squints, "Stars."

"An ex-marine," Kate whispers as she notices Belle asleep a few feet away from her, "watching Dancing with the Stars. Something is wrong with that picture."

"Their doing the jitter bug wrong." Gibbs states as he points at the TV screen.

Kate raises and eyebrow.

"Four wives Katie. I had to learn at some point."

"I always wanted to take ballroom but karate always came first." Kate explains with a half laugh.

"Let me show you." Gibbs says as he rises from the bed and pulls her to the empty floor space by the window.

He loosely takes her hands.

"Take a step to your right with your right foot. It takes two beats." Gibbs instructs.

Kate follows and places a socked foot to her left.

"Now stomp your right foot in place. This takes two beats." Gibbs continues.

Kate follows and ducks her head to make sure she doesn't step on his foot. Gibbs raises her chin with two calloused fingers.

"Eyes on me" Gibbs orders.

"In one count put your right toe behind your left heel."

Kate follows a soft smile on her face.

"Step in place with your left foot."

"Than what?" Kate asks after he pauses for a second.

"We repeat." Gibbs instructs as he leads his pretend wife in the jitterbug across a crowded hotel room.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

NCIS HEADQUARTERS NEXT DAY

"Do you have to leave." Abby complains to her best friend.

Kate shifts Belle up on her hip.

"Not until one o'clock."

Abby pouts and Kate laughs.

"Come on we have news to spread." Kate says as she tugs on Abby's arm.

"What's the verdict?" Stan questions after Abby settles herself in front of the plasma screen and Kate drops into a chair by Gibbs.

"Only one of the two possibles you all came up with matched the other three possible suspects." Abby pouts.

"Which one?" Tony gripped.

"Tara Lee O'Malley" Kate answers for the lab tech.

"Where do we go from here?" Paula asks, "there aren't any more resident files to go through and we can't find anything else on these possible suspects."

"We keep a look out for all of the possible suspects, and keep digging we'll go through the files of employees of CDT and their families. McGee can you print out copies of the possible files for the Gibbs and Kate?" Stan asks

McGee nods and goes to his computer.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Bye." Kate waves as she climbs into the rental car.

She hugs Abby one last time before she settles herself in the car. Gibbs gives a small wave to the assembled team and pulls out of the car garage.

"Smile Abbs." McGee pleads.

Tony interlaces his fingers with Paula's and steps over to help.

"They'll really be married by the time this is over, Abby." He supplies.

Abby giggles and a 50 watt smile lights up her face.

A/N: Reviews are Bliss!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs = Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony = ?????? ( I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway ), McGee + Abby =McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects, therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: Sorry this piece took so long to get out. I hope you enjoy none the less, tell me what you think. I am also using a new word program and the spacing is a little different.

Enjoy and Review!

Can it be Bliss?

By: Katie Todd

Chapter 6

STEVENSON HOME  
NEXT DAY

"Daddy's home." Kate chimes as she sashays to the foyer.

Her silver headed boss gets out of the car after he parks it in the driveway. He jogs to the now open front door and opens his arms, an uncharacteristic grin lighting up his face.

"How are my two favorite girls?" he asks.

Kate smiles and Belle gurgles while swinging her arms open towards him. Gibbs picks her up and swings her around in a circle, as he steps inside the house. The child latches on to him and buries her head against his neck.

"Ummm…" Gibbs sighs, "What's mommy making for dinner?"

Kate smiles and tosses a head of auburn curls to look up at him.

"Fettuccini Alfredo." Kate slurs her pronunciation perfect.

"Daddy's got to go get out of his work clothes, so Belle is going to mommy." Gibbs instructs as he hands his navy blue clad daughter to Kate.

Kate smiles and settles Belle on her hip as she dances around the kitchen adding different ingredients to the glass bowl that sits on the counter. Kate starts slightly when she feels a rough hand on her back. She turns her head over her shoulder wincing as the movement pulls at newly formed knots. Gibbs drops a kiss on her up turned lips for her trouble.

"How was work?" She asks as she scoots around the kitchen.

He sighs, he could get used to this. Coming home to Kate's cooking, snuggling with his little girl, giving Kate a peck on the cheek.

"Long. Boring." He answers as he squeezes a rough hand around Kate's neck.

She sighs gently in pleasure as he starts to knead her shoulders gently. He's mindful of both the child on her hip and the spoon in her busy hands.

"How was your day, Katie?"

She smiles at the added endearment.

"Rough. Little one here didn't go down for her nap; the phone was ringing off the hook. Neighbors calling about some parade the school is having for a big game they have next week, and some picnic Heather is organizing. I think your work dinner was mentioned. Alice called to see if I could go dress shopping, and if we wanted to go to the USO show Saturday. Abby called to report that they had no more leads and the profiling squad is getting nowhere, they really need better leadership." Kate babbles.

Gibbs smiles.

"The profiling squad does need better management. They see a possible yearlong investigation and put the perp on the back burner. You'd be a good candidate if you'd ever give up field work."

Kate gives a small half smile and boost Belle up higher on her hip. Gibbs pulls the girl off her hip and places her up against his chest. Her head lulls right under his collar bone her eyes almost closed. He bends down to pick up her blanket and bunny that had been forgotten on the kitchen island.

"What do you say we put little one to bed early and you and I catch a movie on the couch." Gibbs asks his eyebrows slightly rose.

"I'd love to." Kate declares in a half sigh.

It's obvious that she's tired.

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LATER THAT EVENING

Kate laughs gently at the poor guy on the TV screen. Why he is practically begging for a date she is perfectly comfortable with the one she has. She is snuggled up to Gibbs' side her hands rest lightly on his chest just below where her head resides. Her feet are curled up under her. His arm encircles her why his other hand gently kneads the tender skin on the back of her neck. Her eyes flutter close as her breathing evens out and she falls asleep against his chest.

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STEVENSON HOME

NEXT DAY

Kate coos and makes funny faces as she scoops the little girl up from her crib.

The girl willingly snuggles up to Kate, her bunny swings from an almost limp hand. Kate lays her down on her changing table and changes her diaper in a mere matter of seconds. She pulls the footie pajamas off the anxious girl and blows softly on her tummy. Belle's giggles fill the room as she continues snuggling her head on the little ones tummy. She finally manages to pull a soft green dress over the girls head; she slides matching socks on her feet and sweeps her up in her arms to move downstairs for breakfast.

Kate skips down the steps and scoots into the kitchen sliding on the linoleum in socked feet. Gibbs laughs as he gently catches her.

"I'm running late, I've got to go, thanks for the coffee" Gibbs says as he gives her a gentle kiss on the lips.

Kate smiles and proceeds with getting Belle her breakfast.

VIDEO CONFRENCE  
LATER THAT EVENING

NCIS HEADQUARTERS: AUTOPSY

STEVENSON HOME: DEN

"Where's Kate?" Abby asks.

The young lab rat stands in the dimly lit basement morgue.

"Hello Stevenson's." Tony says from his place seated in Ducky's swiveling chair.

"You said it was urgent, does that mean progress is being made?" Kate asks from somewhere off screen.

"Yes." A comforting British voice replies.

"Hold on a second?" Kate half asks.

She crosses the front of the computer screen and walks to the door connecting the garage to the house.

"Jet honey, can you come in and take this call for a second I have to put Belle to bed."

Stan enters the basement and looks at the assembled group.

"Sorry, I'm late" Stan apologizes as he sits himself upon an operating table.

"Your not," Paula chirps from her casual place on the arm of Tony's chair, "Kate's putting Belle to bed, and Jet is coming in from the garage."

Stan shoots her a questioning look, she smiles.

"I'm here to entertain." Gibbs states as he settles in an arm chair.

"I'm here." Kate huffs as she half runs down the stairs, Gibbs smiles and she settles herself on the arm of the chair he occupies.

"Spill the beans." She orders at the assembled team.

"Well we know that all the males are poisoned with something resembling arsenic, the children suffocated, and the women poisoned with an unknown gas." Dr. Mallard states.

Kate and Gibbs nod recalling the details from their notes. The only certain information on the case was how the killer killed.

"We stumbled across a body in the cold case storage facility Jethro, resembling the other murders." Duck states.

Gibbs raises an eyebrow in question.

"I was down there looking for an old evidence file when I found it," Abby starts, "the report says that the man died of a diluted arsenic in his coffee. I looked up his name he worked at CDT we're searching for details now."

Gibbs nods and rubs a hand down Kate's back.

"We think, Jethro," Ducky continues "this was the true first victim the TOD was on May fourth 2002. His wedding ring was found between his teeth," Ducky pauses for a moment before he continues, "once we discovered this thing with the wedding ring we discovered that the wedding rings on the male victims have been removed in all cases. They, unlike this one, just haven't been found. We think our murderer went after her husband because of an on-the-side lover."

Gibbs frowns, once scorned married women are the worst people to try to rationalize with or deal with. He knows, he has dealt with three. Kate swallows dry an excuses herself to go check on Belle. Gibbs instructs them to get in contact when they have more information and goes upstairs after Kate.

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"Katie, tell me what you're feeling" Gibbs urges as he rubs her back.

She sits at the top of the stairs; her head lies limply on her knees. Her auburn hair falls in thick curls that touch the floor.

"Like a target" She says flatly, "I feel like there's nothing I can do to protect Belle, like each new piece of information, is a hit, it's a reality check. I don't like it" she says pouting like a small child.

"C'mere" Gibbs demands as he pulls her hunched body toward him.

She lays her head on his shoulder and lets him rub her back and lay soothing kisses in her hair.

"I'm gonna keep you safe, I'm gonna keep Belle safe. No one, **No One** is gonna hurt you" he promises.

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NEXT DAY  
STEVENSON KITCHEN

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Bel-le, Happy Birthday to you" Kate, Gibbs, Alice, Mike, Heather, and Dana sing.

Belle sits in her high chair looking curiously at all the singers around her. A delicious looking piece of chocolate cake sits in front of her covered in bright sprinkles. Belle's Sophie sits on the table next to her; she rests against the back of the top of the white kitchen chair behind her, a birthday hat on her head. She reaches out a cute fat hand and grabs a piece that she then shoves in her face to the enjoyment of everyone.

Kate continues to serve the rich chocolate cake and Gibbs warms the spot between her shoulder blades as she slices deep into the cake's three thick layers.

"Looks beautiful Katie" he murmurs into her ear.

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"Thanks for having us, Kathleen, the cake was delicious" Alice thanks.

"It was lovely" Mike agrees.

"By baby Belles" Dana says in a sing song voice.

"Say Bye" Kate parents as she raises Belle's tiny hand which she opens and closes roughly.

"It was wonderful Kathleen" Heather says.

Kate smiles as the vivacious woman steps forward to kiss Belle on the cheek. The friends scoot out the door and Gibbs closes it with a bang before kissing Kate gently. After he pulls away from her cherry tasting lips he nuzzles his daughter's nose. He and Kate settle Belle in her play pin and slide _Marie's Adventures in Paris_ in the DVD player. Kate was big on promoting different languages why Belle was young. The birthday girl seems content so Gibbs and Kate start hanging up her new clothes in her closet.

Kate turns when she feels Gibbs's hands on her shoulders. He turns her around and places a soft kiss on her lips. He likes the picture they make more than he wants to admit, even to himself.

"What was that for?" she whispers against his cheek.

"Do I need a reason" the silver haired man murmurs softly.

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THREE DAYS LATER  
STEVENSON KITCHEN

"Kate?" Gibbs asks as he walks in the house.

He drops his keys on the kitchen as he enters.

"Kate?" he calls again softly. He tries to stop fear from coloring his tone.

He walks into the family room and has to hold back a laugh. Kate is sprawled out on the sofa; face down with her arms folded across under her forehead. Belle lays primarily the same way on a blanket Kate must've laid down on the floor for her. The laundry sits stacked perfectly in white baskets that lay near the end of the couch. Their case file sits on top of the folded whites.

Gibbs kneels in front of the couch wincing at the movement and reaches up a callused hand to massage the back of Kate's neck, he feels her wake up under his hand but he doesn't stop his gentle treatment. His left hand joins his right and he continues his gentle kneading from her shoulders to her lower back. He rubs his hands back up to her neck and whispers hello in her ear. Kate smiles and sits up on her knees before she scoots to the other end of the couch.

"That felt wonderful" Kate thanks.

Her silver haired boyfriend stands up and goes to sit on the couch. Kate pulls her knees up to her chest only to have Gibbs pull her ankles onto his lap. He peels off her socks and starts kneading her feet.

"I have a gift for you," Gibbs murmurs as he pulls a slim box our of his inner sports coat pocket.

He leans forward and places the box in her waiting hands.

"Why-" Kate starts.

"I don't have to have an occasion" Gibbs declares.

Kate nods and carefully pulls open the box. She pulls out one of the two white cards inside and clamps her hand over her mouth after she reads it. Her chocolate eyes shine with excitement.

"Dance lessons?," she half states half asks, when Gibbs nods a breathtaking smile lights up her face, "When do we start?"

"Monday" Gibbs states.

"Thank you. This is wonderful" Kate smiles and Gibbs's guarded expression breaks into a sly smile.

He tugs on her feet and slides her across the couch. He pulls her face up to his. He kisses her sweetly as he tangles his hands up in her hair.

"I'm glad" he mumbles against her lips.

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1903 MAPLE ROAD

FOXTROT DANCE STUDIO

2 DAYS LATER

"I'll count you off. 1 and 2 and 1, 2, 3, 4" the tall blond instructor yells as she claps her fingers together.

Gibbs smiles as he and Kate rock back, kick their feet out, and step gingerly on the ground. Kate turns her head to look at him and smile. They're in open position with their hands intertwined between them. The silver haired man rubs a thumb over her knuckles and gently squeezes Kate's thin hand. Their instructor joins her equally blonde partner and they demonstrate the second kick in the "Lindy Hop". Kate and Gibbs follow getting the hang of the step much sooner than the other dancers. They follow the instruction and Gibbs spins Kate into his chest. He flips his arm back out and Kate hops into the air before she lands.

Gibbs spins her into a closed position and gently drops a kiss on her lips before he starts the count off to their next round of the "Lindy Hop".

"We'll see you next week" Mindy, their instructor calls after several more minutes of music.

Kate and Gibbs exit hand and hand, he settles her in the passenger seat of their car. He runs around to the driver's side and climbs in. He grabs Kate's hand and massages the back of it as he drives them home.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs = Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony = ?????? (I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway), McGee + Abby =McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects; therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: The date of the USO show in the last chapter was changed from 'next Saturday' to the fourth of July…please enjoy and tell me what you think. Oh and thanks for Scamp for betaing!

Now Enjoy!

Can it be Bliss?

By: Katie Todd

Chapter Seven

Mayberry Field

1 WEEK LATER

"Go, run, Go third…go to third…."Mikes shouts.

Kate smiles at Gibbs's whistle as she claps her hands together. Alice hoots beside her as their man slides into third pushing mud up to the first row of bleachers. Alice pulls her cap further down over her dark hair, Mike rubs anxious hands together as he chomps on a sunflower seed, and Gibbs leans forward to pull Kate back against his shins.

"OK come on Rolland…let's bring 'em home" Alice yelps and claps manicured hands together.

Mike whistles again and throws a pile of sunflower seeds in his mouth. Kate tilts her head back and looks at her 'husband'. Alice and Mike had invited Gibbs, Kate, and Heather to come with them to watch the Cardinals play in their second home game. Heather had declined but agreed to babysit the children; Alice said that she always declined. When Kate had asked Alice about it she had simply said she thought Heather felt like she was imposing on 'couple time'.

"You OK?" Kate hears murmured in her ear.

The brunette shakes off her peculiar expression and knocks some torn thoughts out of her already crowded mind before she looks up at Gibbs. She lies her head back on the top of Gibbs's knees and smiles up at him.

"Never been better" she drawls.

She has the satisfaction of watching his eyes light up as he bends down to brush his nose against hers, 'Eskimo kisses' he calls them. One of her smooth hands reaches up behind his neck to tug his lips down against hers. He complies and kisses her softly for a moment. He lingers and lets the sharp black coffee taste from his mouth mix with the gentle cream of hers before he pulls back. The ex-marine smiles at her and brushes her bangs off her slender forehead. The object of his affections smiles showcasing perfectly white teeth and sits up against his shins once more.

STEVENSON HOME

FOUR DAYS LATER

"Katie Love?" Gibbs says softly as he pulls rough fingers through her hair.

Kate lies on her stomach by the fireplace. One arm rests straight out in front of her, her other lays around her infant's back. Kate's soft green pullover is discarded by her feet; the fireplace and thick plush blanket take the pullover's job in keeping her warm.

Gibbs smiles as his groggy eyed partner shrugs awake; as she slowly surfaces from sleep, Gibbs lovingly brushes his fingers through her hair. He softly pulls apart knots and tangles with worn fingers while his eyes encourage her to wake.

"Did Mommy and Baby take a nap?" The pretend husband asks.

Kate smacks her lips together before wetting them with her tongue.

"Mmm," Kate sits up on her knees while being careful to not jostle the baby that sleeps beside her, "how long was I out?" she questions.

"I've only been gone two hours" he reassures as he helps her to stand.

She winces when still-asleep-legs tingle. Gibbs takes her weight and smiles when she rubs sleep out of her eyes.

"Why doesn't Daddy call for a pizza?" Gibbs asks gently.

"Pizza sounds," she searches for the right word, "yummy, Mommy will wake baby" Kate says jumping into his use of elementary endearments.

NCIS HEADQUATERS

SAME EVENING

"So," Tony starts, "we're assuming our perpetrator is someone trying to get close to Kate and Gibbs."

"Yes" Stan says somewhat hesitantly.

"Gibbs and Kate need security" Paula says as she looks up from the file she's highlighting.

"Let's get working on it then" Stan agrees.

STEVENSON HOME KITCHEN

NCIS BULLPEN

NEXT DAY

"Ohh Stevenson's come out, come out wherever you are" Tony calls, as he thickens the words with an Italian accent.

"We're coming" Kate huffs as she runs down the steps and slides into the kitchen with Belle resting on her hip.

She sets Belle down in her high chair before giving Tony a one minute sign and running out to the garage. The bullpen's occupants hear the distinct sound of a door opening and Kate's gentle voice as she calls out into the garage.

"Jet, can you come in for a second?"

Abby giggles at Gibbs's response.

"Sure love"

They see Kate dash across the screen, her harried presence sends Belle into a fit of giggling and clapping. Kate makes faces at the child as she runs across the kitchen again, this time with a tattered blue cloth in her hand. Abby raises her eye brows when the group hears the distinct popping and slurring of a quick kiss. The two appear in front of the screen, Kate with a shinning smile on her face and Gibbs wiping grease off his hands. The auburn picks up the toddler from her highchair and bounces her on a slender hip as she raises her eyes at the tall figure on the screen.

"You hollered" the undercover agent pesters.

"How do you feel about a couple house guests?" Tony asks suavely.

"Explain" the gruff order comes from the Italian's boss.

"After reviewing the case file again, it seems apparent that the perpetrator is someone that is going to eventually try to get close to you. Therefore the security, or lack thereof, at your current location needs to be heightened." Tony spills.

"What does that have to do with house guests" Kate asks as she leans her head against the top of Gibbs's shoulder.

"We're going to pose as Kate's best friend and her husband. We'll come down stay for a couple days and install all the security you need" Tony continues.

"Well I guess we don't really have a choice," Gibbs gruffs.

Abby bounces up and down and claps her hands in excitement.

"I'm assuming you're my best friend and Tony's your husband?" Kate snarks.

"Nope" Abby pops as she twirls a black pig tail between her fingers.

"Who?" Gibbs barks.

"McGee" Abby says in a sing song voice as she twists on her heels.

"Well then," Kate smiles, not able to act put out when her friend is so excited, "I guess I can put up with you two. I was scared there for a minute, I thought I was going to have to put up with Dinozo for a week."

"We'll see you soon then" Gibbs concludes as he leans in front of Kate to terminate the connection.

NCIS BULLPEN

"Was it just me or did it sound like Kate and Gibbs were kissing ?" Abby asks nonchalantly

"We're defiantly going to learn allot about the happy couple soon." Paula agrees.

Tony chuckles as he remembers Kate's reaction when he went through her trash. That wasn't watching her every move on camera.

STEVENSON KITCHEN

"Don't get me wrong Jet," Kate smiles sweetly, "i want the security but i'm not too sure i want Tony watching my every move."

Gibbs reassured her with his eyes, they would make it through this whole ordeal, including breached privacy. He leans down and stubbornly restarts their formerly rushed kiss.

A/N: What did you think?


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters, settings, and dialogue, belong to Donald P. Bellasorio, not me. No copyright infringement intended.

Rating: T

Pairings: Kate + Gibbs = Kibbs (yes I know she's dead but I'm in twilight denial OK), Paula + Tony = ?????? (I know she's dead but I decided to bring her back anyway), McGee + Abby =McAbby

A/N: Hi! This is my first ever case file and I am having a little trouble creating/bringing up clues, finding chapter breaks, and so on… please bare with me during the duration of this story. I really am trying my hardest. Please, no flames…constructive criticism and encouraging reviews, however, are acceptable.

A/N 2: I have stayed almost perfectly realistic in scientific and profiling aspects; therefore you all can try to solve the case on your own if you want to…message me through my profile when you figure it out…

A/N 3: So funny story…I have been receiving reviews, PM's, and messages from my betas correcting the name of the guns I use in my story and I find it important that the name I use is accurate. But I noticed, however, that no one really seems to know because each review, PM, or Beta message I get says something different so I put up a poll to find out. I thought well the name that has the highest vote will be the correct one. Currently three names are all equally tied. So long funny story short…if someone wants to research it and send me that research I would love you forever…

On another note sorry this took so long…this chapter is a little different… I hope you enjoy.

Now Enjoy!

Can it be Bliss?

By: Katie Todd

STEVENSON KITCHEN

"Don't get me wrong Jet," Kate smiles sweetly, "I want the security but I'm not too sure I want Tony watching my every move."

Gibbs reassures her with his eyes, they will make it through this whole ordeal, including breached privacy. He leans down and stubbornly restarts their formerly rushed kiss.

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NAVY BASE: NEAR GRANDVIEW NEIGHBOR HOOD

STEVENSON HOME: KITCHEN

ONE WEEK LATER

"Turn left McGee" Kate instructs as she bounces Belle on her hip, "No McGee. You turn left. Trust me, it's left." Kate stuffs a bag of tomatoes on a shelf in her refrigerator.

"Ok, I'm turning left Kate" McGee assures as he rubs a finger over Abby's dry hand, "now where do I go?" he asks.

"It's a military base McGee" Kate takes a deep breath and checks her tone. Belle lets out another yelp and Kate tries to soothe her, "don't you have a lap top? You can MapQuest it. Or better yet use the GPS"

"The internet connection keeps going in and out and the GPS got annoying" Abby supplies, reaching over McGee to yell in the phone.

"Lovely" Kate comments sourly as she tries to tempt Belle with a teething ring, "mommy is almost done, sweetie, but she has to get these cold things in the fridge." She soothes her child as she picks up a gallon of orange juice and transports it into the fridge.

"Kate we're at an intersection" McGee states nervously.

"You want to go to towards Grandview. If you are where I think you're at you turn left. Is there a School looking building to your right?" she questions in a huff.

"Yes" McGee answers already turning the wheel.

"Good. Turn left and go straight until you get to the Grandview street sign. It should be on your left"

"Ok, got it. I see your house." McGee states.

Kate hangs up the phone without saying good bye and focuses on her whining child. The baby snuggles against her exasperatedly and Kate kisses her head before shoving a jar of organic peanut butter in the white wood cabinet above her head. She coos softly to Belle as she tries to get the child to calm while she puts the milk away in the fridge, the door bell rings and she almost drops the stout container. Catching it rigidly in one palm, she shoves it on the shelf and races to answer the door.

McGee stands in his usual dress pants and button up shirt. His appearance seems a little ragged, his shirt is half un tucked and wrinkled, his shoes are scuffed, and a tie is missing, they are all little things but they help him fit the part. An easy role, a brother in law from half way across the country, his first name was Thomas, something he had insisted upon amongst gentle giggles and knowing looks from Abby. The friendly Goth looks pleasantly but uncharacteristically normal. Her eye makeup is lighter than usual, her hair is in soft curls that are not as rigid as her 'court room curls', the strict tight curls she wore when she had to testify, her dress has a high collar and falls gently above her knee, and a sparkly headband rests in her hair. Bright eyes assess the foyer as Kate invites the couple in and directs them upstairs to their room, with a crying tot on her hip.

She looks as unrefined as McGee does at the moment. Her lush auburn curls are in a gentle but mangled maze around her head, her shirt is crumpled, her white shorts look worn, and her makeup is half done and smeared. It had been a long day of grocery shopping, soothing a crying daughter, and answering hounding phone calls.

The phone rings and Kate rushes to her bed room to grab it, leaving the new couple in the hallway.

"Hello?" Kate half hisses in exasperation as she resituates Belle against her chest. The small child is close to sleep.

"Katie?" the voice on the other end of the receiver is uneasy, "bad day?" He states without waiting for conformation to his earlier question.

"Thomas and Amy just got in" she ignores his question with the statement and settles her ear closer to the phone.

"I'm leaving in five minutes. You want me to pick up a couple pizza's?" the question elegantly lifts half the stress off of Kate's shoulders and she sighs into the phone.

"Please" she accepts and he chuckles.

Belle's thin hand reaches for the object in her mother figure's hand and she kicks her feet warily against Kate's thigh.

"You wanna talk to daddy?" Kate sings and when the small child nods she places the phone in her tiny hands.

"Is that my girl?" Gibbs gasps in fake surprise when he hears the phone being transferred.

The answering giggle is music to his ears. He pretends to understand her gurgling as he asks her questions about her day.

"All done?" Kate asks pushing her hands open to symbolize her question.

She gently pulls the phone away from the girl and smiles into the receiver as she says, 'hello' again.

"You'll be home soon?" the agent asks exasperatedly.

"I'll see you in ten." He promises.

He says a deep goodbye and she responds in turn before hanging up the phone and returning to the hallway.

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Laughter fills the room as the man on the TV in front of the small group of people trips down the hill. When Gibbs had arrived to find Kate so tired she was about to tip over and shatter he had thrown the pizza on the table, dug out a movie, tucked his daughter into bed, and told McGee they could start installing surveillance equipment tomorrow. It would give them a whole day without interruption, he didn't have work.

The small group of colleagues had crashed on the living room couches to eat their pizza and stayed there to finish the movie after they finished their dinner.

Kate's hair paints Gibbs's jacket a deep shade of red as she rests her head against it. He tucks his arm around her shoulders and squeezes her to his side, enjoying the gentle smile he receives in return.

"you doin' better?" he asks, his gruff voice tickling her ear softly.

"Much" she sighs as she cuddles closer to him, beautifully oblivious to the gazes of her friends who sit cuddled together on the couch opposite them.

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STEVENSON HOME  
NEXT DAY

"A little higher," Abby prompts and Kate holds a chuckle behind her teeth as McGee almost drops the camera while standing on his tip toes.

Gibbs idly rubs her shoulder as he squats down behind her chair. They had drawn out a floor plan this morning to place the cameras. Kate had to say she wasn't entirely happy with the arrangement. The two cameras pointing into the kitchen had been necessary, the camera in the foray had been common sense, the two cameras in Belle's bedroom had been precautionary, she could even rationalize the four cameras in the living room as extra protection, and she knew that all the cameras randomly placed in the hallways were essential. She couldn't rationalize the cameras stationed in all the little niches around the house, the camera on the porch, the cameras pointing under the doorframe of her bedroom and Gibbs's, or the camera stationed above their coffee niche; the lack of privacy was getting hard to take. The agent lifted a pale hand up to her temple massaging her hand through her hair.

"Mommeeee!" Belle whines softly. Both Kate and Gibbs's faces brake into smiles. It hadn't been the first time the little girl had called her parents mommy and daddy but she is different from other children in the fact that she didn't usually say mommy and daddy. The little one usually didn't call them at all. She was perceptive and it seemed to both her pretend parents that she was well aware that they weren't her real mommy and daddy; it was as if she found it awkward to call them something she knew they weren't.

Kate stands gently dislodging Gibbs's hands from her shoulders as she rounds the couch into the family room. The little girl claps her hands gently around the tangled ribbon that is sandwiched between them. Her pale pink lips pull into a soft pout. Her hair had made a soft appearance recently it had come in a gorgeous read as they had expected. Half the girl's family had red hair.

"I'll fix it" Kate assures.

She sits down beside the small child and untangles the purple ribbon from the girl's petit hands. Expertly tying it around Sophie's neck, Kate lifts both the girl and the bunny up in the air and onto her hip before going into the kitchen, once again.

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NCIS HEADQUARTERS

BULL PEN

SAME DAY

"So," Stan states as he slaps through a manila folder that had only grew a mere inch since this mission had started, "What _exactly_ do we have?" he asks as he brushes a frustrated hand trough his hair.

Tony looks exasperatedly at the stack of papers in front of him. They had started trying to sift through everything, to re start so to speak, this morning.

"Well…" Paula drags as she leans against the front of Kate's desk. A printout of a PowerPoint McGee left her with and a folder of highlighted documents in her hand, "Tony can you get McGee's PowerPoint running?" she asks as she points to a flash drive on the desk in front of her.

Tony fumbles around with the gadget, eventually getting the plasma screen to start working. He clicks the mouse and the first page pops up on the screen.

"Let's start with the victim's then. Sixteen victims confirmed out of a rough possibility of nineteen. We still have a year that's not accounted for. The murders started in 2002 when our killer murdered John McClain. He worked at CDT and when Abby looked up his file she discovered he was reported to have a wife named Laura and a daughter named Carrie. This is the only victim that was found without a wife or child." Paula states.

"So we are assuming this is the killer's husband." Stan states as he scribbles something down on a post it note.

"Sure." Paula restarts, "a wedding ring was found between his teeth." She pauses to fetch a water bottle from her temporary desk before continuing, " The sanders were murdered on May 4th of 2003. The Fenton's were killed on the same date the year after. They were followed by the Rhodes who were followed by the Pope's. Then we have a year we know nothing about before the Fickly's were killed."

"Ok." Stan nods as he scribbles a note.

Tony smiles roughly at Paula before trying again to pay attention.

"What's next?" Stan prompts.

"The how. The woman is always between the ages of 27 to 30 the man between the ages 45 to 50. The men are also all ex-marines. The women have no correlation outside of being the wives of marines. The little girls are all killed when they are roughly twenty three months old, and they all have birthdays in mid or late May and early June. All the murders took place within three different base neighborhoods. There seemed to be a rotation between which neighborhood was picked but it fell apart the more it was studied." She pauses and takes a large gulp of water from a bottle she sets on McGee's desk before continuing, "The men are poisoned with what is confirmed to be diluted arsenic which they most likely drank. We presume that it was mixed in their coffee. The women show signs of gas poisoning but no gas has been able to be pen pointed. Ducky's working on it. The children are suffocated."

"Has Kate sent in a profile sense last time?" Tony asks as he sips his cappuccino.

"Yesterday. It says that the murderer's gender can't be determined but her gut goes with a woman even though she can't see a woman murdering small children. As for her mental state, Kate thinks that it's stable enough that she could function in the real world but that there is a physiological problem. The fact that the murder victims fall in a pattern suggest that the murderer is attached both to the scenario of a perfect family and the date May 4th. We are looking for someone with a big tie to that date. Kate thinks maybe a serious disturbance in her family…like a death or a divorce."

"The killer takes trophies and they seem personal. She doesn't take money, or jewels or even something like the security system from the house to taunt investigators with. This is passion not publicity. She takes stuffed animals, pearl necklaces, the man's work id, and the man's wedding ring. Her anger is at the man. According to Kate" Paula finishes her water, "the killer seems to taunt that killing in the removal of both the ID and the wedding ring. The way the children are killed is a quandary. They are suffocated which is painful and suggest the killer is angry with them, the killer takes their life after that of their parents which could be because she wants their fear to pile up or because she doesn't want to take their life and does it because she feels she needs to. Kate can't decide on one or the other. She wrote here that there isn't much evidence towards one in particular. We don't know enough about how the women are killed to make a conclusion but Kate thinks that the killer is killing the image of what she wants or wanted to be."

"So in short," Stan scans his scribbled notes, "our killer is most presumably a woman that has been scorned and is now killing small military families."

"Plus," Tony starts, "she's a man hater"

Stan rolls his eyes and Paula holds back a rough giggle.

"We know our murderer uses hair dye so she does change her appearance. She doesn't want to be apprehended. So she has method behind her madness. Our possible suspect whom we found under Laura, Marie, Carrie Marie, Marie Isabelle, Michelle Lynn, and Tara Lee was discovered because of parking tickets and traffic violators. So she's not supper careful. We believe our suspect is changing her name and having her documents forged."

"Laura was considered because Tony found record of hospital documents that had her signature on them. Her daughter died of suffocation when she was almost two. Her primary income until 2001 was from CDT. We supposed she had a husband that worked there. She listed her address on the hospital papers as Grandview. Kate beliefs that the first victim was probably the husband, the passion behind the kill suggest that." Paula rattles.

"So we could know who our murderer was it's just a matter of finding out who she is." Tony says solemnly.

"And evidence seems to show that she will probably try to come close to the family."

"Meaning Kate and Gibbs probably have already met her…she's probably checked out clean as well. We need to search everyone again." Tony put the tension in the room into words.

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STEVNESON HOME

SAME DAY

The gentle knock on Kate's bedroom door has her looking up from the passage she is reading. They have been going to the church on base with Alice and her family for several weeks now and the sermons on trust and joy have really been hitting Kate. She felt very guilty at first for her decision to be baptized into the small Christian Church. She was Catholic and she felt bad for betraying that but the joy that came with the decision had soon overcome her. Making the decision was easy, she wants to talk to God herself and wanting that had finally felt right, telling her family was going to be the difficult part.

This new decision is against her Catholic upbringing, but if she is totally honest with herself she has been doing things that are against her upbringing for a while now.

"Come in" she answers softly.

She knows who it is without even asking. McGee and Abby are cuddled up watching a movie down stairs and Belle is in bed. On top of her deductive reasoning it smells like him. The saw dust smell his clothes seem to be washed in even without his boat present.

The door creaks open and she smiles up at the broad man as he enters the room with a basket of laundry from the laundry room down stairs. She almost laughs when she sees its contents, her sheets. She is currently lying on a mattress that is only covered by a thin mattress cover.

He grins as he dumps the mass of mint green out on her bed and gently teases her with a blanket that he manages to wrap her up in.

"That feels great" she exclaims both complementing the soft massaging Gibbs is doing to her feet and the warmth that seeps off the sheets and into her body.

Gibbs smiles as he moves around the bed and gently drapes his body around hers. She has spent all day playing hostess and he knows she is tired but he can't wait.

The preacher at the tiny church had the same effect on him as he did on Kate. He is still working to trust God with his family but he knows it is a place to put his trust. The last sermon clearly showed that God didn't want to hurt him that his wife and Kelly dying and three divorces were because of the world not because of God. He felt shame after that sermon for the first time in ten years and he was surprisingly proud to feel it, to feel something.

He blamed God and he was done with that. He and Kate made the decision to be baptized together. He was getting his life on the right track. He had always had a life…but work was becoming less important every minute he looked at Kate. He wanted this woman.

Even though a bare mattress and warm sheets wasn't the atmosphere he had in mind when thinking about this engagement he knew it was time. Kate doesn't want a romantic ring in wine glass proposal and he knows that. The ring feels heavy in his pocket.

"Katie?" the serious tone in his voice combined with the loss of contact has her sitting up on her knees to move towards his voice.

Kate turns to face him flabbergasted to find him kneeling at the edge of her bed his hands extended.

"Will you marry me?"

The shock that crosses her face both thrills and scares him. He knows how awkward it can be if she says no and he knows there is a very real chance of that. He hadn't wanted to love again and he had. Loving again felt right and so did this.

Tears spring to her eyes as she tries to get out an answer, "I'd be proud to" she says in a half sob.

He can't help it. His eye brows rise. "Really?" he asks in a puzzled tone.

She smacks his chest with two open hands as she wobbles on the edge of the bed. "yes"

Kate never excepted this and she is floored with the meaning of it. He trusts her. He trusts her to not leave him, to not break his heart.

"I love you" he says carefully and simply and he removes her pretend engagement ring and slides a perfect replica onto her finger.

She blinks back tears as she promises her love and simultaneously lifts her hand to the light.

"I overheard you saying you loved that ring. I even heard a rumor that you picked it out. There isn't a good way to explain a new ring on your finger." He pauses as he strokes her hair out of her face, "what I'm trying to say is that if you want a different ring, I'll get you one when this mess is over"

"I did pick it out," she confirms, "it's so beautiful"

Gibbs reaches up to gently cup her face before he pulls her in for a long and very heated kiss.

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STEVENSON HOME

NEXT DAY

Kate is humming why she washes the breakfast dishes in the sink and Gibbs comes to gently wrap his arms around her. He nuzzles her neck, bathing her hair in his exhales. It feels wonderful knowing that the engagement ring that now sits on her finger is his.

The pair had spent a long time talking about wedding plans and what would have to change at work. Kate had said she wanted a wedding ceremony as soon as they got out of here. She had insists it be small and casual. He had readily agreed. Gibbs is toying with the idea of retiring a fact that shocks Kate. She had said she was well aware that the profiling squad needed to management and she was prepared to be it. They would figure it out she is sure. Together is a wonderful word.

Gibbs took the day off to help McGee. How he is supposed to be helping he didn't know yet. The younger agent had mumbled something about a short in some electrical board. Kate had walked down the hall and Gibbs's attention had shared that electric short.

"Mornin' beautiful" Gibbs whispers in Kate's ear. He's pleased with her smile.

The silver haired man pulls her from the dishes and kisses her softly. Her pale dish soap covered hands come to rest against his cheeks and he smirks slightly, still keeping their lips together.

Abby stands shocked behind the island a tired Belle resting against her side. The small child had begged to be removed from her crib early in the morning but she was doing nothing but snuggling with anyone that picked her up. Kate and Gibbs kissing isn't what holds the forensic scientist still it is how they are kissing. It is soft, something she had never imagined with Gibbs. His hands rest in Kate's hair and hers are gentle on the sides of his face, framing it. A large paw slides down to find her lower back and makes itself comfortable there. There is no pushing, no shoving, no desperate grabbing at the other, nothing that will lead to heated regrets.

The older man releases the smaller woman slowly. The Goth watches, still hypnotized, as the man dips a finger in the sink and dots his loves nose with the suds. The auburn haired woman giggles as she whispers something to the man and hits his chest with a soft open hand.

Abby ducks out of the room. Something was different about the two of them. It wasn't that they loved each other, she had already known that, it was almost like they admitted it to each other. The black haired beauty shakes her head, that couldn't be it.

A/N well… you know want to fill my inbox.


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